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Summary: Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
Does talking about racism make your uncomfortable?
NOTE TO This is a fan-based summary and analysis of White Why it’s so Hard for White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. This is meant enhance your original reading experience, not supplement it. We strongly encourage you to purchase DiAngelo's original text
Get ready to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Robin DiAngelo wrote this book to deconstruct the notion of racism in America today. She proposes that racism is not isolated incidences of violence perpetrated by white nationalist racists, but rather an entrenched societal condition in America used to oppress people of color to this day. White Fragility is the term she uses to explain why white Americans have such a hard time admitting that we hold pre-programmed racial biases. Just the suggestion that we participate in systems of discrimination is enough to make us defensive, reactive, and angry. DiAngelo argues that we need to confront and work through this discomfort to exact any real, lasting change in our society. At its core, DiAngelo’s statement is As white people born into white households in America, we begin our socialization in racial matters on day 1. Regardless of words talked at us about racial tolerance, we absorb instead the lessons we see through actions, school, the media, etc. We absorb the values we see reflected in the world around us. The world around us, fifty years after the Civil Rights Movement, is still one in which white people experience institutionalized privilege and people of color are systematically victimized, disregarded, and feared. DiAngelo dismantles all your defensive white arguments. She says it is just not possible to be free from prejudice. It is by denying prejudice, discrimination, and societal racism that we permit that racism to be perpetuated. We have to sit with our white fragility, work through the discomfort, and try to make progress in the discourse of race. DiAngelo challenges that if you are not actively engaged in the racial discourse, you are a part of the problem. Refusal to shine a light on the experience of people of color in our country is what perpetuates the dark places we don’t want to acknowledge.
And much more! Scroll to the top and 1-click your purchase now!
NOTE TO This is a fan-based summary and analysis of White Why it’s so Hard for White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo. This is meant enhance your original reading experience, not supplement it. We strongly encourage you to purchase DiAngelo's original text
Get ready to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Robin DiAngelo wrote this book to deconstruct the notion of racism in America today. She proposes that racism is not isolated incidences of violence perpetrated by white nationalist racists, but rather an entrenched societal condition in America used to oppress people of color to this day. White Fragility is the term she uses to explain why white Americans have such a hard time admitting that we hold pre-programmed racial biases. Just the suggestion that we participate in systems of discrimination is enough to make us defensive, reactive, and angry. DiAngelo argues that we need to confront and work through this discomfort to exact any real, lasting change in our society. At its core, DiAngelo’s statement is As white people born into white households in America, we begin our socialization in racial matters on day 1. Regardless of words talked at us about racial tolerance, we absorb instead the lessons we see through actions, school, the media, etc. We absorb the values we see reflected in the world around us. The world around us, fifty years after the Civil Rights Movement, is still one in which white people experience institutionalized privilege and people of color are systematically victimized, disregarded, and feared. DiAngelo dismantles all your defensive white arguments. She says it is just not possible to be free from prejudice. It is by denying prejudice, discrimination, and societal racism that we permit that racism to be perpetuated. We have to sit with our white fragility, work through the discomfort, and try to make progress in the discourse of race. DiAngelo challenges that if you are not actively engaged in the racial discourse, you are a part of the problem. Refusal to shine a light on the experience of people of color in our country is what perpetuates the dark places we don’t want to acknowledge.
And much more! Scroll to the top and 1-click your purchase now!
38 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2018
2 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 4, 2019
This book redefines the term racism in a manner in which all whites are guilty of and takes the focus on white privilege and what that means. As a white, female reader, I appreciated the spot on references of what so many of us are guilty of feeling. It took me from being “color blind” and passive in my thoughts and has prompted me to want to learn more and be aware.
I gave three stars because it isn’t very well written and some of her examples are a bit much. At one point she talks about a white woman having a heart attack and her privilege is that the focus is on her instead of the racist thing she said.... if anyone no matter what color is having a heart attack, I would hope that would be the thing that mattered the most in the room. The author jumps around with her thoughts and sometimes it can be hard to follow but she has many good points.
I gave three stars because it isn’t very well written and some of her examples are a bit much. At one point she talks about a white woman having a heart attack and her privilege is that the focus is on her instead of the racist thing she said.... if anyone no matter what color is having a heart attack, I would hope that would be the thing that mattered the most in the room. The author jumps around with her thoughts and sometimes it can be hard to follow but she has many good points.
Displaying 1 of 1 review